Irish Egg Rolls – Jessica’s Virtual Baby Shower

My friend and fellow blogger Jessica, of Sunny Side Up, is expecting her first baby in a few short weeks. Since many of Jessica’s friends live so far away from her we are celebrating the way bloggers do, with a virtual baby shower. I was so excited to see that I was invited to party along with them. Although I have only got to meet her once, Jessica and I have been friends for about 6 years now. She is such a sweet lady and I wish her and her family all the best.

The theme of this shower is Jessica’s Pot of Gold. Jessica holds a special place in her heart for irish dancing and has even taught some very successful little dancers herself. Her love runs so deep that she has decided to give her daughter an Irish influenced name. The dish I am bringing to the party is a traditional Irish dish, corned beef and cabbage, with a Chinese spin. The spin that I put on the dish represents the time Jessica and her husband have recently spent living in China.

Be sure to check out the entire line-up of Irish influenced party food offered at this shower by visiting the hosts websites; Jessica (My Baking Heart) and Krystal’s (Mrs. Regueiro’s Plate). Thank you ladies for hosting a beautiful shower for our dear friend Jessica. Before leaving, don’t forget the most important thing, mingle with the guest of honor. Head on over to Sunny Side Up and wish Jessica and her husband well as they get ready to welcome their precious little girl into the world.

As luck would have it (did you get the pun? Luck, Irish themed baby shower?) Anyway, moving on, I just so happened to remember that egg rolls were on my kitchen bucket list. Another one bites the dust on the list. Making egg rolls was actually quite fun. The part I don’t care for is my house smelling like hot oil for the rest of the day. That is definitely a smell I can do without. The egg rolls however, were quite delicious. I will admit, I was skeptical as I had never eaten corned beef before or an egg roll before but I think the two combined together nicely and made a great finger friendly party food.

Directions:Cook Vegetables- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add cabbage, carrots, and half the minced garlic. Cook just until the cabbage starts to give off liquid and reduces in half. Do not overcook; the cabbage should remain crisp. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate mixture until completely cool. Return skillet to medium heat. Add a tablespoon of butter, potatoes, remaining garlic, salt and pepper to taste and sauté 5 minutes. Add 1/3 cup water to skillet and cover until potatoes are cooked through. Place potatoes into refrigerator to cool. Once vegetables are cooled continue to next step.

Make Egg Rolls- On a work surface place one egg roll wrapper with a point toward you. Pat the cabbage and carrots dry with a paper towel. Place a heaping tablespoon the cabbage mixture on the wrapper and top with the same amount of corned beef and potatoes. Heavily brush all the edges of egg roll wrapper with the beaten egg. Begin rolling the wrapper tightly around the filling. Halfway up, fold in the sides, then continue to roll the rest of the way. Repeat with the other wrappers.

Fry egg rolls- In a large, high-sided pot, heat the oil to 350°F. Gently drop in the egg rolls (two at a time) and fry until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove and drain on a towel. Slice in half on the bias.